Practice Perfect: 42 Rules for Getting Better at Getting Better - Hardcover

by Doug Lemov (Author), Erica Woolway (Author), Katie Yezzi (Author)

Rules for developing talent with disciplined, deliberate, intelligent practice

We live in a competition loving culture. We love the performance, the big win, the ticking seconds of the clock as the game comes down to the wire. We watch games and cheer, sometimes to the point of obsession, but if we really wanted to see greatness--wanted to cheer for it, see it happen, understand what made it happen--we'd spend our time watching, obsessing on, and maybe even cheering the practices instead. This book puts practice on the front burner of all who seek to instill talent and achievement in others as well as in themselves. This is a journey to understand that practice, not games, makes champions.

In this book, the authors engage the dream of better, both in fields and endeavors where participants know they should practice and also in those where many do not yet recognize the transformative power of practice. And it's not just whether you practice. How you practice may be a true competitive advantage. Deliberately engineered and designed practice can revolutionize our most important endeavors. The clear set of rules presented in Practice Perfect will make us better in virtually every performance of life. The "how-to" rules of practice cover such topics as rethinking practice, modeling excellent practice, using feedback, creating a culture of practice, making new skills stick, and hiring for practice.

• Discover new ways to think about practice. Learn how to design successful practice. Apply practice across a wide range of realms, both personal and professional
• The authors include specific activities to jump-start practice
• Doug Lemov is the best-selling author of Teach Like a Champion

A hands-on resource to practice, the rules within will help to create positive outliers and world-changing reservoirs of talent.

Front Jacket

"To practice is to declare, I can be better. There are many full-stop moments in Practice Perfect--ideas so interesting that you can't help but pause for a second and consider them."
--From the foreword by Dan Heath, coauthor of Made to Stick and Switch

We love competition, the big win, the ticking seconds of the clock as the game comes down to the wire. We watch games and cheer, but if we really wanted to see greatness we'd spend our time watching, obsessing on, and maybe even cheering the practice sessions instead. Practice Perfect puts the art of practice front and center. It shows that anyone, in any field, can come to appreciate that practice, not games, makes champions.

In Practice Perfect, the authors engage the dream of better. Filled with illustrative examples from top-level athletes, established teachers, seasoned lawyers, and even long-time surgeons, the authors show how deliberately engineered and designed practice can revolutionize our most important activities.

The "how-to" rules outlined in Practice Perfect can make us better in virtually every performance of life. The ideas are often counterintuitive, such as: don't concentrate on your weakness, practice what you are good at. To get you started on your path to "better" the authors have included a number of specific activities that will jump-start your way to practicing perfect.

Back Jacket

Praise for Practice Perfect

"There are no shortcuts to success, whether it be in education, sports, or business. The authors of Practice Perfect provide a clear-cut, common-sense blueprint for what we all need to know to create practice habits that ensure permanent, sustainable results."
--Michael D. Eisner, former chairman and chief executive officer, Walt Disney Co.; founder, The Tornante Company; cofounder, The Eisner Foundation

"If you want to improve your own--or someone else's--performance, you've got to read this book. With Practice Perfect, the authors have given everyone a great gift. They've handed over the key that unlocks excellence."
--Jim Kouzes, coauthor of the bestselling The Leadership Challenge; Dean's Executive Fellow of Leadership, Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University

"If you are interested in getting better at anything (or helping someone else get better), then this book, with its excellent collection of techniques and tools, should be your field guide."
--Daniel H. Pink, author, Drive and A Whole New Mind

"A timely, winning, and approachable proposition! The pursuit of improvement through the development of a disciplined approach to practice is an essential element to success."
--Douglas R. Conant, former president, chief executive officer, and director, Campbell Soup Company; New York Times bestselling author, TouchPoints; ASTD 2012 Champion of Workplace Learning and Performance

"It's become conventional wisdom that the path to excellence is paved with hours and hours of practice. Here the authors provide practical guidance for how anyone can use carefully selected but relatively simple tasks to ensure these hours of practice lead to excellence."
--Kathleen Porter-Magee, Bernard Lee Schwartz Policy Fellow; senior director, High Quality Standards Initiative, Thomas B. Fordham Institute

"Practice Perfect will provide a recipe for organizations that are committed to their people--to helping them grow and get better in simple but powerful ways."
--Jean-Claude Brizard, chief executive officer, Chicago Public Schools

Author Biography

Doug Lemov is the author of the bestselling book, Teach Like a Champion. He was a managing director at Uncommon Schools and now directs their project on effective teaching practices.

Erica Woolway is the chief academic officer for the Taxonomy of Effective Teaching Practices at Uncommon Schools.

Katie Yezzi is the founding principal of Troy Prep Elementary School in New York.